Pipe-hanger.



H. M. LOFTON, E. B. BUTLER & R. M. HUN TEE.

PIPE HANGER.

1 APPLIOATIQN FILED APR. 9, 1909- 1,013,187. atented Jan.2 1912.

BY 2 ATTORNEY COLUMBIA PLANdGRAPu C0.. WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE.

,d-IERBERT M. LOFTON AND EDWARD E. BUTLER, OF CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE,AND

RUDOLPH M. HUNTER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

PIPE-HANGER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 2, 1912.

Application filed April 9, 1909. Serial No. 488,987.

an Improvement in Pipe-Hangers, of which the following is aspecification.

Our invention has reference .to pipe hangers, and consists of certainimprovements which arefully set. forth in the following specificationand shown in the accompanying drawings which form a part thereof;

The object of our invention is to provide a pipe hanger which shall beadjustable, in-

expensive to construct, and easily applied.

Our improvements consist in general in a suspension device for the pipepreferably in the form of a ring having at its top a head or ballstructure, combined with a socket part having a seat for the head orball of the ring part and provided with a screw or other device by whichit may be secured to the ceiling or over-head joist, the constructionbeing such that the ball or head of the pipe supporting part may bedetachably inserted within the socket and free to adjust itself in alldirections to follow the alinement of the pipe.

Our improvements further comprise the forming of the socket portion withan enlarged opening at its upper part through which the head or ballportion may be introduced within the socket, and said socket portionhaving a contracted lower part to form the bearingfor sustaining thehead or ball and the ring portion connected to it.

Our invention also comprises the ball and socket construction abovespecified and is further restricted to forming the ring part in aplurality of sections preferably having the ball or head divided withpart formed integral upon adjacent sections.

Our invention also comprehends details of construction which togetherwith the features above specified will be better understood by.reference to the drawings, in

which socket portion; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a portion of theball or head and ring part; and Fig. 5 is a perspective'view showing theconstruction of the uniting joint for the two parts of the ring support2, 2 are two semi-annular ring portions which are united by a detachablejoint 3 at the bottom, and having at the top the two semispherical heador bail-shaped portions 4. These semispherical ball portions 4 arepreferably hollow forming an opening 5 at the top; and are connected tothe ring por-' tions 2 by neck portions 6. They may further be providedwith projecting tongues 7 which interlock when the two parts 4, 4 arebrought together as indicated in Fig. 1 to constitute the completespherical ball or head.

8 is a socket portion and is formed of a hollow casting contracted atthe bottom to form a bearing 9 terminating in an aperture 10. Theaperture 10 is connected by a slot 11 with an enlarged aperture 12 atthe upper part of the socket portion through which the head formed bythe parts 4, 4 may be inserted when the socket portion is turned atright angles in a vertical plane to the ring portions 2, 2. After thesocket has been placed over the head or ball portions 4, 4 it may thenbe turned in an upright position, the neck portion 6 passing through theslot 11 down into the bottom opening 10. The upper portion 13 of thesocket is screw-threaded and receives the suspension screw 14, thebottom of the shank of which is screw-threaded at 15 by which the socketmay be adjusted upon the shank l4 vertically. It is preferable that theparts 4 should be hollow and the aperture 5 therein of larger diameterthan the suspension screw 14 so as to give greater capacity of verticaladjustment upon the said screw by permitting the lower part to enter thehollow head 4, 4. The upper end of the screw 14 may be pointed andprovided with screw threads as is customary in lag screws.

Broadly considered, it is immaterial how the sections 2, 2 are securedtogether, but in the preferred form these are interlocked at the bottomby a joint which holds them engaged when the two upper ends of the ringportions 2, 2 are brought together and maintained in such positionwithin the socket.

which are formed tongues and the ends of I which are beveled as at 19.Below this slot 18 the rib of the section 2 is provided with a pointedtongue 20 downwardly extending. The other section 2 has its end formedas a substantial counterpart of the construction above described, andmore particularly may be said to comprise a tongue 17, lateral beveledfaces 22 at the root of the shank, and a rib having aii inclined frontedge 21 below the tongue. It is further pointed out that the tongue 17and the slot 18 are made to interlock by making the tongue wider at theend and the slot wider at the base so that when the two parts areengaged they can not be pulled apart. There is also a slight gap betweenthe parts 20 and 21 when in complete engagement, as indicated in Fig. 1,this construction being for the purpose of enabling the tongue to beinserted in the slot 18 when the upper portions of the parts 2, 2 arespread apart, and then be rotated to bring the upper parts together andto cause the interlocking parts at the bottom to assume the positionshown in Figs. 1 and 2. When his position is assumed it is evident thatthe enlarged head of the tongue 17 cannot be pulled out of the slot inthe direction of the length of the tongue. It is further evident thatthe right hand part 2 cannot shift upwardly upon the left hand partbecause of the projection 20. It is also evident that the right handpart cannot shift downward upon the left hand part 2 because of thebeveled end 19 striking the beveled shoulders 22. In the same manner theleft hand part 2 cannot be shifted with respect to the right hand part.It will thus be seen that when the two parts 2, 2 are brought togetherat the top as indicated in Fig. 1, the bottom portions will beinterlocked at 3 so as to be inseparable in any direction. In thismanner the only function required of the socket 8 is to preventdisengagement of the part 2, 2 to prevent the two parts of the head 4,4L spreading apart.

While we prefer the particular interlocking construction abovedescribed, it is evident that any other suitable interlocking means maybe employed in lieu thereof, if so desired. I

We have described our invention in that form which we believe to be mostsatisfactory for commercial use, but it is to be understood that we donot restrict ourselves to the minor details as these may be modified invarious ways without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having now described our invention what weclaim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A pipe hanger composed of a ring frame having a ball shaped head atits top and a short interposed neck portion of smaller cross sectionthan the ball shaped part, comframe and a height greatly in excess ofthe height of the ball shaped head and said socket portion having anupper side opening of an area equal to the transverse sectional area ofthe ball shaped head and further having a vertical slotted portionopening from the said side opening and extending down to the bottom forreceivingthe neck portion of the hanger, the height of the interiorchamber portion from the bottom to the large opening in the side thereofbeing greater than the length of the neck portion below the ball shapedhead, the combination being such that the ball shaped head must beinserted through the large opening of the socket with the ring frame ina position substantially at right angles to the length of the socket andscrew, then shifted downward within the socket away from the screw andwith the neck portion received within the slotted part and then the ringframe and ball shaped upper part thereof rotated into a verticalposition and so that the shortness of the neck portion prevents theupward rising of the ring part to permit accidental disengagement of the5 ball shaped part from the socket.

2. In a pipe hanger, a ring shaped support for the pipe having at itsupper part a hollow ball shaped portion open at the top,

combined with a socket portion in which the 00 ball shaped portion isadjustably journaled, and a suspension screw having its lower part screwthreaded and adjustably engaging the upper portion of the socket portionout of contact with the ball shaped portion and in which the area of thescrew is smaller than the area of the open end of the hollow ball shapedportion to permit extended adjustment of the socket port-ion upon thescrew without causing engagement of the 0 ball shaped portion with thescrew or interference with the free adjustment of said ball shapedportion in the socket.

In testimony of which invention, we hereunto set our hands.

HERBERT M. LOFTON. EDWVARD E. BUTLER. R. M. HUNTER. Witnesses as toLofton and Butler:

M. V. MINOR, T. M. GENAR. Witnesses as to R. M. Hunter:

R. M. KELLY, E. G. FARLEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Iatents,

Washington, D. G.

